Aim: There is increasing interest in the role of choline in brain development, including its possible role in promoting mental health and preventing mental illness. Choline is an essential micronutrient in fetal brain maturation. In more than 90% of pregnant women, choline intake has been found to be lower than the daily-recommended dose. The aim of this article is to review what is known about the effects of maternal choline supplementation on fetal brain development, early child development and mental health.
Methods: A narrative review of the literature.
Results: A limited number of studies suggest that maternal choline supplementation during pregnancy may enhance fetal brain development and improve early signs and symptoms that may predispose to mental illness.
Conclusion: The general low maternal choline intake during pregnancy, expected health benefits and low risks, make a plea for maternal choline supplementation to promote mental health. Choline supplementation may be especially important for pregnant women with a (family) history of severe mental illness and/or alcohol dependence.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eip.13426 | DOI Listing |
J Nutr
January 2025
Department of Animal Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA. Electronic address:
Background: Supplementing choline and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to pregnant gilts modified fetal pig hepatic global DNA methylation induced by gestational malnutrition, suggesting that gene expression and regulation and its associated metabolic pathways are affected in the liver of offspring during growth and development.
Objective: To investigate the effect of maternal supplementation of choline, DHA and their interaction on hepatic mRNA expression, miRNA regulation and metabolic pathways in the fetal pigs born to malnourished mothers.
Methods: The abundance of mRNA and miRNA was profiled in fetal liver from sows with undernutrition supplemented with choline and DHA in a 2 × 2 factorial design.
EClinicalMedicine
January 2025
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Background: Limited studies have suggested an effect of dietary choline intake on uric acid levels. We aim to investigate the associations between choline intake and hyperuricemia (HUA), as well as the mediating role of kidney function in this relationship, among the Chinese population aged 6-17 years.
Methods: Participants were divided into quartiles according to residual energy-adjusted dietary choline intake in our cross-sectional study.
Clin Nutr ESPEN
January 2025
University of Medical Sciences, Department of Histology and Embryology, Poznań, Poland.
Background & Aims: The developmental origin of health and disease hypothesis shows that early adverse exposures can have lifelong health effects. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the impact of choline intake during pregnancy and/or lactation on gene expression profiles in the liver of 24-day-old male rat offspring from dams with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Methods: Phenotypic characteristic, histological examination and global transcriptome pattern of liver tissue specimens obtained from offspring of dams suffering from fatty liver, provided with proper choline intake during pregnancy and lactation (NN), fed a choline-deficient diet during both periods (DD), deprived of choline only during pregnancy (DN), or only during lactation (ND), was performed.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf
January 2025
School of Public Health, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China. Electronic address:
Objectives: Perchlorates, nitrates, and thiocyanates constitute environmental endocrine disruptors; however, health damage caused by absorption through the respiratory tract remains poorly studied. We investigated the effects of inhalation of these pollutants on thyroid function and structure and serum metabolomics in pregnant rats.
Methods: We established a Sprague-Dawley pregnant rat model exposed to perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate at different gestational stages and compared maternal serum thyroid function levels, foetal development, thyroid morphology, and pathological changes between exposed and non-exposed groups at different concentrations.
J Nutr
December 2024
Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Section of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA. Electronic address:
Pregnancies complicated by maternal obesity are characterized by metabolic differences affecting placental nutrient transport and fetal development. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is critical for fetal brain development and is primarily incorporated into phosphatidylcholine (PC). Recent evidence suggests choline may enhance PC-DHA synthesis; however, data on the impact of maternal plasma choline on placental phospholipid DHA content in females with obesity are limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!